Sunday, 12 June 2016

Whispers Of Wilderwood Hall - Karen McCombie

After
leaving her friends to move to a crumbling Scottish mansion, Ellis is
overcome by anxiety and loneliness. Then she hears whispers in the
walls…and finds herself whisked back in time to 1912.

At first,
she feels like she's finally home. But the past may not be as perfect as
it seems – and is there more to hope for in the present than she first
thought?

Warning, this review is likely to be one long gush... I absolutely adored Whispers Of Wilderwood Hall, this is my sort of book! Starting briefly in London the bulk of the story takes place in the wilds of Scotland where Ellis and her mother, Sadie, are newly arrived at Wilderwood Hall. Recently married to a rock star this is their new home but for Ellis it could turn out to be so much more.

Suffering from severe anxiety and wondering exactly how she is going to fit into her mother's new life the situation isn't improved when her newly acquired step-sister Weezy suddenly shows up. What might tip her over the edge though are the voices she's hearing and why does it seem as though she's in two places at once...Ellis is a great character, I can completely empathise with her - anxiety is not a fun thing and not everyone understands exactly how it affects you. Luckily her family (both old and new) seem to know that how badly she is affected and rather than smothering her or worse, they know that she needs help in order to learn to live with and manage it. The historical and time-jump sections of the book were great, as soon as the time period was mentioned I absolutely knew what was going to happen and I was right! Befriending a maid back in 1912 Ellis starts to find the friendship she is looking for but unfortunately for her not everything is as it seems and she's going to have to make some tough choices that not everyone will like or appreciate.If you like middle grade fiction that covers anxiety, step families, history with a twist of fantasy and an excellent story-line then Whispers of Wilderwood Hall is definitely the book for you. I started reading it when I had a free hour and ended up not putting it down until I was finished. Beautifully written, in a magical setting, an authentic portrayal of anxiety and realistic characters all combine to make one of my favorite reads of the year!

Karen McCombie is from Aberdeen but now lives in North London with her husband, daughter and one big ginger cat.

Before Karen became a full-time writer she worked for several teen magazines such as Just Seventeen, Bliss and Sugar in a variety roles - everything from Fashion Editor to Features Editor – all very exciting and glam!

Karen has sold over one million books in the UK alone and has been translated into 15 languages.